


Benefits

by Ana_Kagetsu



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Fluff, Love, M/M, More Fluff, Romance, Seriously just so much fluff, Shmoop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-27
Updated: 2014-08-27
Packaged: 2018-02-14 23:50:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2207670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ana_Kagetsu/pseuds/Ana_Kagetsu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Kaidan had said there were benefits to his happiness, this....is not what Shepard had imagined.</p><p>In which Kaidan is a big ol' fluffy romantic and Shepard has no idea how to respond to that and retain his epic manliness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Benefits

**Author's Note:**

> This is the second shortest thing I've ever written, lol. Also, it's filled with near crack levels of fluffiness. You have been warned. XD
> 
> You can find me over on [Tumblr](http://anakagetsu.tumblr.com/)

When Kaidan had said there were benefits to his happiness, this.... was not what Shepard had imagined. His mind had been filled with images of sweaty bodies, hot kisses and mind blowing sex. And, to be fair, there had been plenty of that too. But this. How the hell was he supposed to respond to this?

For once Kaidan had woken and left their bed first, giving Shepard a taste of his own medicine by slipping out without waking him. When he had rolled over and reached for his lover, Kaidan's side of the bed was empty. Or, well, mostly empty. On Kaidan's pillow was a single rose. Shepard's brow crinkled in consternation as he sat up and reached over to pick it up. It was definitely real, although the coloration was unusual: the body was a bright, almost neon shade of blue, darkening to shades of royal blue and violet at the edges of the petals. Shepard was sure he'd seen roses like it somewhere before.

Something tugged at his memory, a vague impression of a smiling, dark haired woman. Without really thinking about it, he brought the flower to his face and inhaled. The scent washed over him; sweeter than most roses, with a musky undercurrent and a hint of spice. The vague memory from before solidified.

_His mother knelt, digging in the soft earth of a tiny plot of ground she had claimed as her own on the small farm his parents owned. An eight year old John sat beside her, handing her bulbs or tools as she worked. His father's voice rumbled from the porch, gruff, but with a strong undercurrent of affection. "Roses, Hannah? On a farm? We could be using that plot for something useful. Peas, perhaps." A teasing thread entered his voice. John's mother hated peas. Laughter rang across the yard, high and sweet. "Not on your life, Joseph Shepard. Useful is all well and good, but a place isn't really home without some beauty.”_

Shepard blinked, feeling moisture in his eyes that was definitely **not** tears. He was probably allergic to the damn thing. He may not have recognized the rose's colors, but he'd never forget that scent. His mother. Home. Mindoir.

A Mindoir rose. How the hell had Alenko even gotten it? Let alone kept it hidden and alive long enough to do this? And what the hell was he supposed to do with the damn thing? It's not like he had flower vases just lying around the cabin.

He absentmindedly brought the rose to his face again, his lips tugging at the corners as they tried to slip into a grin that was in no way goofy. The grin bloomed into full life as his eyes lit on the nearly empty whiskey bottle on his desk. Perfect. He rolled out of bed and padded over to the desk, pouring the last of the whiskey into a tumbler and downing it in one swift gulp, wincing and shaking his head at the burn. He put the rose in the bottle and looked at it for a minute, frowning slightly. After a moment he smiled and brought up his Omni Tool. A few quick taps on the interface and the rose shimmered slightly as the shield locked into place around it. Nodding in satisfaction, Shepard headed out the door to see what kind of crisis he needed to fix today.

Shepard didn't thank Kaidan for the rose and, in turn, Kaidan didn't ask him if he liked it. Their best communication had always been non verbal: a quick look and hand gesture on the battle field as they worked in near perfect sync; Kaidan rolling his eyes in a way that said Shepard was being a child again; a small, crooked smile saying that he loved him anyway; a hand on the waist or brush of the shoulder as they walked together saying _“I'm here. I've got you. I'm not going anywhere.”_ It was like their own, private, language. Well... usually private.

“Damn Loco, you keep looking at Glow Stick like that and _I'm_ gonna need a cold shower.”

“I believe the Commander is engaging in what Jeff refers to as “eye fucking” Lieutenant. Although I am unsure as to the relationship between the act of sexual intercourse and intense staring.”

“.....Primitives.”

That night when they retired to their cabin, Kaidan glanced over at the desk where the rose sat in its whiskey bottle and flashed an amused grin at Shepard, who shrugged and smiled slightly, his face warming in what could in no way be interpreted as a blush. Kaidan opened his mouth to say something and Shepard stepped into him, stopping him with his own. The other man chuckled at the obvious diversionary tactic before pulling Shepard close, deepening the kiss and putting his own two cents into the conversation.

Later, Shepard let his eyes wander across the sleeping form of his lover. Sleep smoothed the lines in his face and the blue glow from the aquarium glinted off the touch of gray at his temples. What was it his mother had said? “A place isn't home without some beauty.” Shepard knew that, for him, home meant anywhere Kaidan was. He snorted softly and shook his head. _Note to self:_ _**Never** _ _say anything like that around Garrus, or you'll never live it down._ He glanced one last time over at the rose sitting on the desk before throwing an arm across Kaidan and curling in close to his warmth. When Kaidan had said there were benefits to his happiness, this wasn't what Shepard had imagined. But he was pretty damn sure he could get used to it.

 


End file.
